Doing some research to write the previous posts, it was interesting to find a simple yet FUNtastic game that most children really enjoy and never get tired of, so it deserved a post of its own: BUBBLE BLOWING!

It is unbelievable how many websites have information about this classic game.

Image by Dino De Luca /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You can buy a bubble-blowing kit or have your children make their own bubble-making tools with everyday materials. The second option is much more fun and allows your kids to come up with some creative ideas, so before you close your bags and head off to your home exchange destination, be sure to pack any items you may need to make your bubble-blowing tools during your swap.

First, take notes about the basic recipe to prepare the bubble making solution: add 2 teaspoons of dish soap to 1 cup of water. If you want long-lasting bubbles you can add 1 teaspoon of glycerin to the above recipe. Glycerin is inexpensive, non-toxic and can be purchased in most pharmacies. Baby shampoo can be an alternative to replace the soap for younger children as it won’t cause irritation if some bubble solution comes into contact with their eyes. Wearing pool goggles during a bubble battle can be fun too! You don’t know what a bubble battle is? Just a battle in which your objective is to have your opponent surrender to your bubble-making attack.

Everyday use items that can be turned into bubble wands:

- Cloth hangers (adult supervision should be a must to work with these).

- Plastic cookie cutters.

- Drinking straws.

- Strings. Cotton strings seem to work just fine. Tie the ends together forming a loop (try different lengths for different bubble sizes), soak the loop in the solution, stretch it and then blow through the film caught in the loop.

- A variety of empty containers can have their bottoms removed or portions cut off to become a simple bubble-making device: cans, yogurt containers, plastic lids. (We would also recommend adult supervision if you choose these items)

- A funnel.

- An old racket.

- A balloon. It is hard to get the hang of it but you can use an inflated balloon to “blow” your bubbles.

- An interesting item that seems to be excellent for younger children is a fly swatter. Its small holes are perfect for the little ones to make dozens of bubbles with just one swing!

- The simplest bubble wand: your hands. And a tip we found at http://www.bubbles.org: “… it is dryness, not sharpness, which pops bubbles. This means that if you get your bubble tools wet, you can touch a bubble without popping it” (where bubble tools means your own hands).

There are many options and all you need is creativity, you can also come up with competitions like: the biggest bubble, the longest lasting bubble, who can blow the most bubbles in one minute… Have fun!!!

Image by ahmet guler /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As we promised yesterday, today we continue with ideas for a great day of outdoor fun with your children.  One great advantage of home exchange is the possibility to be “at home” while you are away on vacations so your family can share a special day in the yard just as you would do in your own house. Some ideas may even be of help to your home exchange partner because you can keep his garden green while you have fun with your kids, as a garden hose or sprinkler may be everything you need to let the fun begin.

Water balloon wars - This is a classic game for a hot summer afternoon, so the next time you go shopping, remember to get some water balloons for the next time you need a fun game to cool down.

Fishing ice-cubes - If you have a kiddie pool or just a bucket, you can dump some ice-cubes into it and compete to be the most effective fisher, catching as many ice-cubes as possible but with your feet!

Ice-cube brigade - In this game, teams compete to be the most effective in carrying ice-cubes from a common bucket to their respective jars. Only hands can be used to transport the ice-cubes and the team that gets the higher final volume of water wins.

Wet potato - As in hot potato, players stand or sit in a circle and pass around a water balloon. If a player fails to keep the water balloon “alive” or if he or she intentionally makes it explode by throwing it too hard, he or she is called out and leaves the circle. The last person standing (still dry!) wins the game.

Sprinkler-jumps - If there is a rotating sprinkler, kids can form a circle within water reach and try to jump each time the stream comes their way. The last one to get wet wins the competition. If you have a single child and you and your spouse  can catch your breath after a few jumps, you can set your child a goal, for example completing 10 jumps before getting hit by the sprinkler.

Wet tag - Just as regular tag, the only difference being you get tagged when you are hit by a water balloon or touched with a wet soft sponge so wet = tagged.

We still have one more game to suggest you, but we will leave it for tomorrow.

It is official, summer is here. If there’s something we all associate with these warm times is outdoor fun. No matter where you are headed for your home exchange vacation, it’s time to enjoy the fresh air and the sunny days. No one knows more about having fun outside than children, they just love it, don’t they? And they have the ability to imagine the most incredible games, but sometimes they come to us for suggestions. So, to give you some ideas to keep the little ones entertained while you enjoy your home swap stay we have a few tips.

Bike Photo Hunt - Find a bike rental (if your home exchange partner does not have bikes and has agreed to let you use them), get a few disposable cameras and engage your kids in a Photo Scavenger Hunt. You may not even need the bikes, having their own cameras could be just enough to keep them excited while they go photo hunting. This is a good idea if you want to get to know the new neighbourhood by taking a walk around but you think they will get bored (and tired) if they have to walk for too long. Just think of an interesting list of things worth “hunting” on film.

Shape Scavenger Hunt - Another good idea that can keep your children entertained during a walk. Get them engaged in another kind of scavenger hunt: have them look for shapes. Having prices could be a good way to attract the least enthusiasts and the list may look like this: Find 2 circles, 2 squares, 2 rectangles, 2 triangles, 1 oval, 1 spheres, 1 pyramid, and 2 cubes. If you have younger children, then make it a Colour Scavenger Hunt.

The Navigator(s) - When you are on vacations, you have more time to do things,  so something simple like walking to the get the groceries becomes an enjoyable activity rather than a duty. This game will allow your children to play a game while they tag along. The idea is to have them take the navigator role during your walk: The navigator can trace your route on a map and periodically report in which direction you’re walking (learning to use a compass can be a lot of fun!) and how far you’ve walked (how many blocks). This is much more fun if you plan several stops and have them give you directions after “studying” their map.

This post is so much fun we will continue with more ideas tomorrow.

Planning out a family trip is a quite tedious job. You have to ensure that everything from the vacation destination down to the expenses of daily activities will benefit everyone. What kids want usually goes into priority in considering a vacation for the family. Of course, the reason for having vacations is to have quality time with the kids to make up for them; and the primary goal is to make the time worthwhile and worth remembering.

Plan out according to the activity they want and the destination second. It would be a good idea to ask what the kids want to do rather than dragging them into a place that neither of them wants to go to. Let the kids decide. This will make them all excited and would make them be more involved with family decisions. (This is also a good way to start opening up communication lines between kids and parents!) Let them think of the activities that they want to do while on vacation. You could suggest too as parents. Visiting theme parks and historical sites are quite worthwhile and enjoyable for everyone. Sightseeing around the countryside or city destination of choice is also a worthwhile and inexpensive thing to do!

If you plan to stay on a long vacation, it would be more practical to go for a home swap or home exchange. This cuts off pricey hotel accommodation expenses and will leave more budget allotment on other things or activities. There are a lot of options for home exchanges at Homeforhome.com. Look for posts of available home swaps that would accommodate the size of your family in the place you are staying. This also lessens the hassle of booking for an accommodation at a hotel in advance, just contact the home owner and talk things out in advance.

For more tips and ideas about family trips and vacations, you can check out http://www.familytravellogue.com.

An old friend and I met and caught up with each other over a cup of coffee. As we talked about our good old days of traveling in groups, she was saddened by the fact that she can’t go anywhere far from home because of her kid. So I said, “Then why not bring your daughter along with you when you plan to go on a trip again?” Who says having kids would tie you down and prevent you from going places?

Bringing kids with you on trips might even be a good idea. Of course, it’s pretty tough taking care of them when you are away form home, but it would also be a rewarding experience for you and your kids. It is a real learning experience for them to be exposed to a new environment and different cultures and lifestyles. Seeing that the world isn’t just limited to the neighborhood they are in, kids can easily adapt to new environment when they grow older. Adjusting becomes easier. Traveling and going places is a learning experience apart from school. A good idea to make the most of your trip is to take them to museums or galleries to know more about the place you are in. That would be History 101 for your little kid! Another good idea is to take them on a short hike around the countryside or bike around the city. The discoveries are endless. Kids will never forget that experience and will take these memories with them until they grow old. These are inexpensive activities, but the reward for spending quality and quantity for them is priceless.

Traveling with kids or even as a family isn’t expensive; there are family packages that you could avail. And of course, home exchange is a good idea to cut back on accommodations. Look for a home exchange that could accommodate the size of your family and wouldn’t mind if you would have kids with you during your stay. You and your home exchange partner can talk about any concerns with kids staying, but surely they wouldn’t mind. Treat your kids to a new experience. Enjoy!

You can have a lot of fun in the summer if you have access to a kitchen.

There are some really great fun treats you can do with the kids (or whoever else may be childish enough to enjoy this kind of fun, aka: most adults ).

For example, mini lolly making.

You can buy for about 50 cents a bag of lolly sticks, and a couple of packs of fromage frais (i.e.: Petit Filous). Then, with the kids (or the adults, whatever!) you can have great fun piercing a tiny whole in the lid of the yogurt, and inserting the lolly stick so that it stays completely upright. You then carefully place them in the freezer with the lolly stick poking upright.

Wait for a few hours, and then take them out. Now, what you need to do is turn the lollies upside down and remove the yogurt pot. Hold the lolly stick at the bottom and you will have a frozen mini-yogurt free of preservatives, delicious to taste, refreshingly cold, and a snappy and creative task that you can have a great time doing!

This is something that you can uniquely do with a home exchange, where you have a kitchen to play around with. In the summer, having access to a freezer counts!